iPhone 5 “just weeks away” complete with NFC

Apple’s iPhone 5 is “just weeks away” from being unveiled, according to an unnamed source at the company, with rumors still indicating that it will be a significant departure from the current iPhone 4. Though Apple is yet to confirm any plans itself, speculation has coalesced on a late-September or early-October announcement, something a Bits insider apparently confirms. Those sources also suggest that the Case-Mate cases teasingly posted then pulled by the accessory company “seemed potentially authentic.”

It’s still unclear whether Case-Mate accidentally posted the images or did it as a PR stunt. The company’s teasing “We’ll have your cases when you have your new iPhone” message, which now replaces where the iPhone 5 case images were before, certainly implies it may have been a promotional move more than anything else. Nonetheless, Apple employees suggest the design is reasonably accurate, with the fifth-gen phone apparently being broader and flatter than the current model, potentially allowing space for a larger display.

That bigger screen isn’t something the sources are confirming, though others have indicated that the long-standing talk of an 8-megapixel camera and dual-core Apple A5 chipset – as found in the iPad 2 – are likely to be lock-ins. Leaked images from what’s tipped to be an iPhone 5 test unit seem to confirm the camera resolution talk.

Finally, the NFC payment rumors have reignited, with Bits insisting that the new handset will include a Qualcomm chip supporting wireless payments. It’s not clear whether this is functionality that will be enabled at launch or is merely waiting for a mobile payments upgrade in the pipeline, though Apple is always keen to talk about how many iTunes users have trusted it with their credit card details.